Then halt thou anderstand Righteousness, and Judgment, and Equity; yea every good Path.

Q. 21. What is the fourth Inference?

A. That the Law ftill hath the Authority of a Rule to Believers; because it reveals God's Will, which they must do.

Concerning our daily Bread.

Quest. 14. WHAT do we pray for in the fourth Pe

A. In the fourth Petition, which is [Give us this Day our daily Bread] we pray, that of God's free Gift we may receive a competent Portion of the good Things of this Life; and enjoy his Bleffing with them.

Q. 1. Why is this Petition placed after the three former? A. Because thofe concern immediately and generally God's Glory, in the Advancement of his Name, Kingdom, and Will, which ought to be preferred to all our perfonal Concerns, Pfal. Ixix. 9. For the Zeal of thine House bath eaten me up, A&s xxi. 13. For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerufalem for the Name of the Lord Jefus.

Q. 2. Why is it put before the two following Petitions? A. Not for its worth, but for its Order; for we can have no Spiritual Bleffings unless we have a natural Being in this Life.

Q. 3. What kind of Bread is here meant?

A. Not Spiritual Bread, or our Lord Chrift, (as fome) but Corporal and Temporal.

Q4. What is included in this Word Bread?

A. Not that only which we call strictly Bread, but all the good Things of this prefent Life.

Q. 5. Do we hereby beg pure Neceffities only?

A. No, we pray for Conveniences for our Comfort, as well as Neceffaries for our Life.

Q. 6. Do we herein pray only for perfonal good Things for our Being?

A. No, we pray for civil good Things for our Condition, that according to our Degree in the World in which God hath placed us, we may have a convenient Allowance.

Q. 7. Do we pray here for ourselves only?

A. No, but also for our Charge, Children and Family; that under and with us they may have the good Things of this Life.

Q. 8. Why do we pray to God for thefe good Things, can we not get them ourselves, or our Fellow Creatures give them to us?

A. Not without God: Whatever we have of these Things they are from God; whoever be the fecond Caufe or Instrument; if ourfelves, God gives us Ability and Succefs to get them; if others, God inclined their Hearts, and opened their Hands to beflow them, Deut. viii. 17, 18. And thou fay in thine Heart, my Power and the Might of my Hand bath gotten me this Wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is he that giveth thee Power to get Wealth. Q. 9. Why do we pray to God to give us Bread ?

A. Because the leaft Crumb of Bread is a free Gift, and never can be merited by all we can do or fuffer, Luke xvii. 10. So likewife ye, when ye shall have done all thefe Things which are commanded you, fay, we are unprofitable Servants.

Q 10. Why are all thefe good Things couched under the Expreffion Bread?

A. (1.) Becaufe Bread is one of the most neceffary and ufeful Things to preserve Life. (2.) Because we must not afk Delicacies and Dainties of God.

Q. 11. What is meant by Day in the Petition?

A. Either (1.) a Natural Day of twenty four Hours: Or (2.) the Day of our whole Life."

Q. 12. Why do we pray for daily Bread?

A. Becaufe God muft give us the Mercies and good Things of every Day, or elfe we cannot have them.

Q. 13. Why should we not pray for weekly, or monthly, or yearly Bread, as well as daily?

A. (1.) Because it is fit we should be still fenfible of our Dependence upon God. (2.) Because we do frequently pray to God, and fo exert our Graces, and maintain communion him, and daily render Thanks for daily Favour, Pfal. lv. 17. Evening and Morning, and at Noon will I pray, and aloud; and ye jall hear cry Q. 14. What need we to pray for daily Bread when we may have Stores laid up for Years?

my

Voice.

A. They

A. They that have the good Things of this Life need to pray this Petition, as well as they that have them not. Not that they may have Bread; but that it may be Bread to them; for except God give his Bleffing upon it, Bread would be Ashes and not fullaneous; neither could all the Comforts of this Life do us any good, Ifa. iii. 1. For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hofts doth take away from Jerufalem, and from Fuda, the whole Stay of Bread, and the whole Stay of Water, Mal. ii. 1, 2. And now Oye Priefts, this Commandment is for you. If you will not hear, and if je will not lay it to Heart, to give Glory unto my Name, faith the Lord of Hofts, I will even Jend a Curfe upon you, and I will curfe your Blessings; yea I bave curfed them already, because you do not lay it to Heart.

Q. 15. Why do we pray only for daily Bread, or a Competency, may we not pray for Abundance and Riches?

A. No, becaufe Riches are a great Snare and Temptation, Matth. xix. 23, 24. Then faid Jefus unto his Difciples, Verily, I say unto you, that a rich Man fhall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. And again I fay unto you, it is eafter for à Camel to go through the Eye of a Needle, than for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of God, Prov. xxx. 8, 9. Remove far from me Vanity and lies, give me neither Poverty nor Riches, feed me with Food convenient for me; left I be full and deny thee, and fay, who is the Lord? Or left I be poor and freal, and take the Name of my God in vain.

Q. 16. What shall we then do with Riches if Providence caft them upon us, fhall we caft them away?

A. No, for fome of the beft of Men, and greatest of God's Favorites, have lived and died rich. But (1.) Wé muft wean our Hearts from them, Pfal. lxii. 10. Truft not in Oppreffion, and become not vain in Robbery: if Riches increase Jet not your Heart upon them. (2.) Be thankful for them, and (3.) Fruitful with them in Acts of Piety and Chatity, 1 Tim. vi. 17, 19. Charge them that are rich in this World, that they be not high minded, nor truft in uncertain Riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all Things to enjoy. Laying up in Store for themselves a good Foundation against the Time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal Life. Q. 17. Wherefore is the Bread called our Bread? A. Not because we are abfolute Lords and Poffeffors of it, for fo it is God's only, Pfal. xxiv. 1, 2. The Earth is V 2

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the Lord's, and the Fulnefs thereof; the World and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the Seas, und established it upon the Floods, Pfal. 1. 10, 12. for every Beast of the Forrest is mine, and the Cattle upon a thousand Hills. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the World is mine and the Fulnes thereof. But (1.) Because we must have a Covenant Right to it. And (2.) a civil Right; we must come lawfully and honeftly by, and fo keep the good Things of this Life, 2 Theff. iii. 10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither fhould be eat.

Q. 18. Having prayed for our daily Bread; need we to labour and endeavour to get it?

A. Yes; we muft labour in good and honeft Callings; God's Bleffing and Man's Industry must concur towards the prefent Maintenance of Life, Pfal. cxxviii. 1, 2. Bleed is every one that feareth the Lord: that walketh in his Ways, for thou shalt eat the Labour of thine Hands: happy fhalt thou be, and it fall be well with thee, Prov. x. 4, 22. He becometh poor that dealeth with a flack Hand: but the Hand of the diligent maketh rich. The Blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and be addeth no Sorrow with it.

Q. 19. What is the first Inference from it?

A. That we must not feek great Matters for our felves, neither make them the Matter of Prayer to God; nor the End and Defign of our Labours and Callings among Men. Q. 20. What is a fecond Inference from hence?

A. That having Food and Rayment, we must be therewith content, and therefore thankful, 1 Tim. vi. 8. And baving Food and Rayment let us be therewith Content, 1 Theff. v. 18. In every Thing give Thanks.

Q 21. What is the third Inference?

And he

A. That we afcribe not our Succefs in the World to our own Skill and Industry, for the wifeft, and most induftrious do fometimes labour in the Fire, and put their Gain in a Bag of Holes; but to God's free Donation to us, and to his Bleffing upon our Endeavours, Gen. xxxiii. 5, 11. lift up his Eyes, and faw the Women and the Children; and jaid, who are thofe with thee? And he faid, the Children which God hath graciously given thy Servant.-Take. I pray thee my Bleffing that is brought to thee, becafe God hath dealt

graciously

graciously with me, and because I have enough. Deut. xxviii. 3. Bleffed fhalt thou be in the City, and blessed shalt thou be in the Field. Ver. 6. Bleed halt thou be when thou comeft in, and bleffed fhalt thou be when thou goeft out.

Concerning Forgiveness of Sins.

HAT do we pray for in the fifth Peti

Quest. 105. W tion?

A. In the fifth Petition which is [and forgive us our Debts, as we forgive our Debtors] we pray that God for Chrift's fake would freely pardon all our Sins: which we are the ra→ ther encouraged to afk, because by this Grace we are enabled from the Heart to forgive others.

Q. Why doth this Petition immediately follow the former ?

A. To teach that all temporal and corporal good Things, without special and fpiritual ones are little Worth, Pfal. iv. 6. There be many that fay, who will fhew us any good? Lord lift thou up the Light of thy Countenance upon us, Pfal. xvii. 14, 15. From Men which are thy Hand, O Lord, from Men of the World which have their Portion in this Life, and whofe Belly thou filleft with thy hid Treafure: they are full of Children, and leave the rest of their Sabftance to their Babes. As for me, I will bebold thy Face in Righteoufnefs; I fhall be fatisfied, when I awake with thy Likenejs.

Q. 2. Why is it annexed to the former with the Copu

lative and?

A. To teach that to be one Minute in the Confluence of all earthly good Things without the Pardon of Sin, is a very dangerous and dreadful Condition, Luke xii. 16, 20. And be pake a Parable unto them, saying, the Ground of a certain rich Man brought forth plentifully, but God faid unto him, thou Fool, this Night jball thy Soul be required of thee: then whoft fball thofe Things be which thou haft provided?

Q3. Why is Forgiveness of Sins placed in the Front of fpiritual Bleffings?

A. Becaufe till Sin be pardoned we are under Wrath, and can have no fpecial faving Grace applied to us, till we are accepted; till we are in Chrift we have no Covenant Right to the Bleffings of Chrift, Matt. xi. 28. Come unto me all ye

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